Winch Electrical

This is a discussion on Winch Electrical within the Lighting, Stereo and Electrical forums, part of the Technical category; Hello.. new to forum but a lurker for a bit. I have an 08 RZR 800. I put a Warn 2500XP winch on and hooked ...

Hello.. new to forum but a lurker for a bit. I have an 08 RZR 800. I put a Warn 2500XP winch on and hooked it up like I have done many times with other installs. I wired the hot line to the battery and the ground to the frame. My solenoid is located near the battery behind the drivers seat. The winch works just fine until I step on the brake! I moved the ground to the battery (upgraded large battery) and the same thing happens. I am not an electrical dummy, but how can the brake circuit stop the winch when it is hooked direct to the battery?

I know most of you use larger winches but I do not do mud and will only use it for a plow mount or to pull rocks while I am prospecting... hence the need to step on the brakes when doing those pulls.....
Thanks for any help from a great forum!

Is that the complete diagram? Did you not tie into a hot wire that works off the key switch? When I first put my winch on my 08 it was doing the same thing and it was cuz i used that spare wire under the dash, for some reason it cuts the power when you hit the brake. I believe it was orange and white maybe.

Did you use the orange wire under the dash for the switched hot? If you used anything else that might be the problem. Not an electrical wizard, and I don't have a wiring diagram in front of me, but the brake is tied into the starter circuit. Maybe the wire you tapped in to goes dead when you step on the brake, or reverses polarity? Just guessing.

Did you use the orange wire under the dash for the switched hot? If you used anything else that might be the problem. Not an electrical wizard, and I don't have a wiring diagram in front of me, but the brake is tied into the starter circuit. Maybe the wire you tapped in to goes dead when you step on the brake, or reverses polarity? Just guessing.

OK, orange wire under dash. That could be something I can try. Are you saying the orange wire should be the wire that carries current to the winch solenoid? In other words, (Its' a Warn System) the red wire to the solenoid should actually be this orange wire or are we talking one of the switch wires from the solenoid..... That I could understand......I will be putzing with that tomorrow am and report back......Thanks

The power lead for the solenoid switch (rocker switch--small wire) should be connected to the orange wire under the dash. That wire isn't shown on your diagram. Love to know what you have it connected to for the winch to die when the brakes are on

OK.. finally figured it out. Thanks for the help in directing me to the Orange wire. I pulled out the wiring diagram and noticed that two orange wires actually come out of the fuse box. I had it hooked to the wrong orange wire..... The wire it was hooked to was the orange wire that goes to the Start Diode... my bad
Once again thanks for the help......